Spectrobes: Beyond the Portals

5 Comments

1. Delamaine says:

   December 14, 2009 at 9:54 am

   Yeah, the graphics of the up-close things (like Rallen talking to people) are good, and the text and graphics in text boxes & Prizmod are good, but everything else is really rather shabby and pixelly. I’m new to Spectrobes and in fact the only RPG I’ve really loved has been Pokemon Diamond. And I was expecting something at least of that quality for the graphics, but the scenery in Spectrobes is cheesy-looking and the Spectrobes themselves are very polygonal and sometimes look like drawings on construction paper that have been cut out and glued into a boxy form with curlicues all over them.

   I could probably get over this fairly easily – it’s no worse than Yugioh Nightmare Troubadour was (but that was what, 3 years ago?). But I also have a great deal of trouble controlling Rallen’s movements (and the movements of the Spectrobes while they are in battle). They want to slide all over the place instead of logically following the cursor controls that I choose, and if the cursor is pressed JUST A LITTLE to one side, the character (Rallen or Spectrobe) goes slanting off at a weird angle. Ramps have to be approached directly; you can’t climb them from the side, even if it’s the side where a ramp is touching the ground, so if you approach it and happen to tilt the cursor funny, you can easily waste a lot of time trying to line yourself up with the ramp to go up it.

   Just an edit; I gave up on Spectrobes and started Zelda Phantom Hourglass, which is pretty old (2005?) and the graphics are better on Zelda than they are on this Spectrobes game.

   I liked the story so far – got stuck in the “jungle” behind the Fossil Research lab – but the disappointing graphics and the annoying movement control (or lack thereof) are making me seriously consider returning it.
2. Anonymous says:

   December 14, 2009 at 12:20 pm

   I like this game except for the fact that sometimes your Spectrobes get caught and sometimes they are hard to evolve. If you are looking for a challenge, buy this game. If you are looking for technique, then you should buy Spore Creatures. (10 year old reviewer)
3. Qwerty Uiop says:

   December 14, 2009 at 2:47 pm

   Where to start? First off, let me just say that I enjoyed the original spectrobes game. It had a fun hook and the controls worked well. The sequel, however, fails to deliver the spark that made the original good. I found the fossil hunting with the new elements tedious and the story mode slightly confusing, especially if you take a break from the game for a few days. The objective menu is there, but it is not very specific.
   
   Now for the gameplay. The spectrobes battle system from the last game has been changed, and not for the better. Instead of the super powered attacks from the first title, you now use “double attacks” that are cool, but don’t seem to aid you in battle as much, as you have limited control over them. One thing that changed about the battle system that I did like however, is the addition of battles outside of the vortexes where rallin actually can fight. Gone are the days where Rallin’s highest strength attacks only cause minimal damage. He no longer fights the Krawl first hand. Instead, as I mentioned, krawl spheres appear outside of the vortexes that Rallin is responsible for killing.
   
   Now, with all that criticism, you may be wondering why I gave it 4 stars. i gave it 4 stars because it makes good use of the touch screen, has many extras to collect and unlock, and delivers a decent second helping of the original spectrobes game that I so enjoyed. It may not be perfect, but it’s original, and that counts in my book.
   
   My opinion: If you played the original spectrobes, you should give this a try. If not, you should try the better original game to see if this game is your cup of tea.
4. jns says:

   December 14, 2009 at 4:44 pm

   My son purchased this game today and has been playing it for a couple of hours. He really likes it. He also likes Super Mario Bros. and Lego Star Wars, but found Ben 10 Protector of the Earth boring after awhile. He still ranks Lego Star Wars as his favorite Nintendo DS game.

   Here are some words from PJ, who is almost nine years old: “Spectrobes is a very fun game. It’s really cool looking for fossils, minerals and more. I like when the spectrobes fight and evolve. Going on missions and defeating evil is very fun. Staying at HQ, walking around and talking is kind of boring. But other than all of that, this is a very nice game. If you like action, swords, fighting, and training, this is the game for you. Plus it was $20, almost half the price of Lego Star Wars.”
5. L. Warder says:

   December 14, 2009 at 6:10 pm

   My 8-year-old son received Spectrobes for Christmas and he loves it! He has a lot of video games and this one is by far his favorite.